Royalty-ZeroX
by Midnafan725
Summary: X, Zero and some of the Classic cast as royals..This is a work-in-progress and the rate of completion for future chapters will be unpredictable..
1. Beginning

**Author's Notes; Royal AU. Shounen-Ai. ZeroX moderately to heavily implied. I'm not sure if this breaks this fucking Writer's Block, but this is what happens when I have too much fun with rping, get inspired by some other ideas floating around, and am sat in front of a certain movie for too long..Been a while since I've written a fic and this will be my first chaptered work..Enjoy..**

A old king sat on his throne, his oldest son beside him, the younger one nowhere to be seen awaiting the arrival of the king and prince of an allied country. The king had gray hair off to the sides, bald on top, and a handlebar mustache. His son, Bass, was short for 19 years of age, had purple marks running down his face starting from the corner of his eyes, red eyes, black hair, and clad in black. He wondered what his mysterious younger brother got up to during the day or if he was possibly nocturnal.

A youthful blond boy laid in his bed, starting to move about with the arrival of sunset. He was clad in a mostly black winged armor, a dark blue crystal protruded from the helmet and a dark red orb on his chest guarded by a blue circle and aided by orange and blue stripes on each side. He rose from the bed. He was the young warrior prince of the country, only age 17. He suffered from an injury from a recent battle to his right leg, causing him to limp. He slowly made his way out of the room and out of the castle, taking flight into the nearby forest.

Soon, King Light arrived. He was white clad asides from his crown as was his youngest son, Prince X. He was a well-mannered boy, only 14 years of age and enjoyed reading in his spare time. He followed his father into the castle quietly, looking around. This was his first time at Wily's castle and he'd never met Prince Bass or his brother before.

"Welcome, Light, Prince X." Wily stood from his throne, walking to Light to shake his hand. Light smiled at Wily and Bass. "Its a pleasure to be here." He smiled, shaking Wily's hand before letting X shake his hand too. X saw Bass and started towards him. Bass tutted at the formalities looking down as he sat on his own throne. "Identify yourself." He said, looking towards X.

X nodded, grinning somewhat. "I'm Prince X, the youngest son of King Light." He glanced to the throne beside Bass. "Who's throne is this?" Bass looked over. "My younger brother's, although he never comes into the throne room unless its important." X tilted his head a little. "I had only heard of one prince in this country." Bass shrugged. "He avoids making himself known to outsiders."

Light looked towards the younger prince's throne. "Two thrones?" Wily nodded. "That's prince Zero's throne, although his lifestyle is a complete mystery and he never comes to the throne room unless its important." X pondered. This elusive prince sounded curious to him. "He's very rebellious and to most, often rude. Zero is a warrior and likes to be left alone, that's all I know for certain." Wily continued. X was very curious now, he wanted to know this Zero regardless of what King Wily said.

Later, X was in the castle garden enjoying the evening air and wondering if he would see Zero. He had searched the castle and found Zero's room, but with no Zero. He looked around and up when he heard the sound of wings flapping nearby. A winged figure flew in the sky, coming out of the forest. X watched with interest and caution, slowly standing up. The figure was Zero, but X couldn't see details very well in the dark. Zero stopped and lowered himself close to the ground, spotting X. His head and chest crystals shone brightly in the dark. He saw X, feeling a little curious, but turned his head and flew to the roof, refusing to get involved with a stranger for now. He quietly took his position on one of the castle spires, hovering in midair and flexing his fingers which were purple with long claws as he closed his eyes to meditate. X tried to get a better look, but the little moonlight was against him.

The next day, X checked the garden and roof another time. He was looking for Zero, but he wasn't there so he went back inside to check Zero's room. There the armored prince was sound asleep on his stomach on his bed, wings spread and a pale yellow mane reaching to his ankles on his back. His head was turned to the right, the smaller pair of wings on the helmet folded slightly and arms laid out to his sides. X quietly came into Zero's room, towards the bed to get a better look and careful not to touch Zero's wing. Zero writhed in his sleep a little, startling X a few times. X observed every inch of the blond. His face was so peaceful, his long blond hair soft and majestic, his wings intimidating but graceful. The short brunette felt his heart race a little in his chest, he was more curious than before. He wondered if he could befriend this boy and maybe one day...No, it was too soon for love, but also wondered if a kind and generous heart rested within.

Evening fell. X spent most of his time during the day in the library, but he was enjoying this month-long stay so far. He had hoped to search around for the young prince some more, but a ball King Wily was holding for King Light and X got in his way. Maybe after the ball. When Light called for him, he tidied up and followed him to the ballroom. The ballroom was wide open with plenty of room to dance and an indoor balcony on both sides of the room. It was already packed with guests, most of them dancing to elegant music. Light sat next to Wily on the left balcony, Bass stood next to Wily overlooking the ballroom. X wandered into the ballroom, looking around. The ballroom at home wasn't as fancy as this.

A dark figure lurked in a bleak corner of the right balcony where no one could see him. Dark brown hair and red eyes, Vile by name. He never liked royal figures, so snobby and arrogant. The world would be better off without them in his mind and he already found his first target; the wandering unsuspecting X. He readied his knife and waited until X drew closer to the stairs before going after him quietly. Bass could see Vile creeping up behind X from the balcony. "Not him again. X, behind you." X looked up at Bass before turning around, gasping when he saw the knife Vile held and closed his eyes. Suddenly, out of nowhere a loud hiss was heard, making Vile look around trying to find the source. X looked around too and before he knew it, the young blond prince appeared and kicked Vile to the floor, making the knife spin in midair. He saw the knife start to descend and X too surprised to move, swiftly running towards X and pounced on him, pushing him clear of the knife as it landed on the floor. Zero had landed on top of X and the light brunette looked at him wide-eyed, recognizing his armor from before. "You..thank you.." X said shyly.

Zero didn't answer, he got up off X and offered his hand to X. X was a little intimidated of the demonic skin on the blond's hand, hesitantly taking it and letting Zero pull him up. The brunette stood up slowly, looking at the taller blond. He seemed nice, but quiet for some reason. Zero looked back behind him, snarling at Vile when he got up and turned to face him. Vile growled at him angrily and charged at him. The blond growled back and charged too, locking hands with Vile and pushing against him. Vile pushed back against him, they were trying to push one or the other towards and off the outer balcony. They wrestled and growled fiercely, Zero proved to be much stronger than he looked because he soon had Vile near the outer balcony. X was intrigued and watched from the side. When Vile was right next to the balcony rail, the blond pushed hard and used his side, throwing the dark brunette off the balcony and right in front of the castle guards who chased him off. All the guests cheered and clapped as Zero took a moment to catch his breath before walking back inside, a slight limp was evident in his walk. The light brunette watched the tall blond coming back inside. When Zero had passed X slightly, he took another step forward before stopping and looking at the white-clad youth. X felt himself getting a little nervous, Zero's face appeared to show no emotion. Inside, Zero felt his heart flutter a little and his mind was intrigued by the younger brunette as he looked at him. X felt himself getting a little hot from the blond's stare. 'Maybe...Maybe...' He thought to himself. The blond averted his gaze to the knife on the floor, picking up and walking away, he averted his eyes back to X slightly over his left shoulder as he took his leave.

Light, Wily, and Bass came down from the left inside balcony, checking on X who stared after the blond until he was out of sight. "Are you alright, son?" Light asked worriedly as the guests resumed their dancing. X nodded at his father. "Yes, I'm fine. He saved me, but who was that other guy?" Bass shook his head. "That was Vile, he's been trying to assassinate royals for a while now. The castle guards usually catch him, but he seems to have gotten around them for once." Light looked at Wily. "That armored one though, was that your Prince Zero?" Wily nodded. "As a matter of fact, it was. That's the first time in a while he's ever interacted with anyone." Bass looked back at X. "And the first time he's ever shown any remote interest in anybody." X raised an eyebrow. "What?" Bass rolled his eyes. "He was looking at you again on his way out. Basically, he might like you." The young brunette felt himself blush a little.

Outside, the winged blond had taken his spot on the castle roof, thinking deeply about X as he flexed and bent his purple demon-skinned hands. 'That boy...I'm certain that's who I saw last night in the garden...I've never felt so interested in someone before...But...He hesitated at my hand...No, I'm just kidding myself, he won't see me that way...He'll only see me as a monster...' He thought to himself. He really wanted to get closer to X, but it was hopeless if X didn't see past his armor. The blond eventually moved from the castle roof and found the guest room where X was just getting ready for bed. He waited until all the castle lights were out before finding his way inside.


	2. A Deep Bond Forms

**Author's Notes; Royal AU. Shounen-Ai. ZeroX heavily implied. Time for a little plot and lots of fluff..and if I remember right, a warlock is a male witch..Plus, I've already jumped Chapter 3..Enjoy..**

X awoke the next morning to King Light's grinning face. "Good morning, son, looks like you've got a visitor." The brunette slowly stretched and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Light was right, there was Zero fast asleep in a nearby chair, writhing a little as he slept, arms folded against his chest and wings around himself. X raised his eyebrow as he walked towards the sleeping blond. "I wonder why and how long he's been here..." Light shook his head. "He was here when I came in." X sat in front of the blond, his hair cushioned his seat and his legs were crossed. Bass peered in, noticing Zero. Light looked to X. "Bass said that he seemed interested in you." "That's exactly it." Bass said, coming into the room. X looked at Bass as he sat down near Zero. "Zero only has regal status because I convinced Wily to adopt him when I was 9 years old. From what he told me, he lived with his mother until she died from an illness of some sort. Supposedly, she was a blacksmith and some called her a witch because of her red hair. She crafted this armor for him when he was only 5 and there's evidence that she really was a witch. The picture in his room shows that this isn't the armor's original size, meaning its been expanding and adapting to his body over the years. She died when he was only 7 years old and I frequently saw him struggling on the streets in town, I felt sorry for him honestly." X looked back to Zero, the blond was still sound asleep even as X took the edge of his long mane and plucked a hair from it for the keepsake. "Clearly, the armor causes his hands to change into demon-like hands and both pairs of wings are indestructable. You'll rarely see him without this armor, likely because of his mother. The fact that he's asleep proves he's nocturnal, but I don't know how that happened. He wasn't like that as a kid."

The older brunette shook his head at the blond. X looked at Zero's hands and claws. "So, if his armor is magic to some degree, then he's really a warlock.." Light looked at Zero's peaceful face. "Hmm, a real warlock..but that also means that he's dangerous. Maybe its best if you avoid him." Bass shrugged. "Maybe even an actual demon...Who knows. He is dangerous, but its easy to see that once someone has his interest, he won't let them fall." X grinned a little. "Wait, how did you get him to talk? He won't speak to me." Bass rolled his eyes and shook his head. "He won't speak to you until he feels like he's ready to trust you. Until then, his actions will do all the talking. That's how it was with me. He's such a hardass that way, that's why everyone thinks he's rude." X looked down a little at Zero's left foot. "So that's what Wily meant." Light nodded, turning back to Bass. "I see. Anyways, we should get to the dining hall, our breakfast is probably cold by now."

After breakfast, X brought some books up to his room from the library, he was going to read them later. First, he wanted to see if he could wake Zero up. He tried everything, from poking and rubbing him to touching the sensitive spots on his underarmor. Nothing seemed to work on him at all, but he wondered about Zero's limping. Bass hadn't mentioned that, but he had remembered there was an attack here recently by the infamous Usurper Sigma and his army a few countries over. Maybe Zero had been injured somehow in that mess. X soon gave up and went to the bed and books. He had been intrigued by what Bass had said and had some books on mythological creatures, including warlocks and demons. "Too wild..." He said, looking back to the sleeping blond. "A real warlock.."

Later X came back from dinner, stretching and yawning a little. He had stacked his books neatly and found a way to unlatch the armor from Zero's right leg, bandaging it earlier. He left the armor piece off so it would heal, finding that Zero's ankle was sprained. The brunette turned on the lamp near the bed, sitting down and giving Zero one more look before lying down, clicking the lamp off after a while. When the lights were off, Zero's head and chest crystals began to light up as he woke. He noticed the bandages on his ankle and that it felt a little better. He put the leg piece back on and rose from his seat, stretching his arms and wings quietly, he could see X on the bed. X was half-asleep and didn't hear Zero's movements. Zero moved towards the other side of the bed and flopped himself next to X, making X bounce a little and waking him. The brunette turned the lamp on and looked around. Nothing there, but he noticed the chair was empty and that another presence was close to him. He slowly turned onto his other side, nearly screaming in surprise when he realized Zero was behind him. "Geez, you scared me." Zero's face was once more emotionless and silent. He reached his right hand to X's face slowly, seeing X shudder. The blond gently rubbed X's left cheek, being careful with his claws. X was surprised at how gentle Zero was, blushing a little. "Y-Your name is Zero, r-right?" The blond nodded deeply in response. X managed a nervous grin. "M-My name is X, pleasure to meet you." Zero cracked a small grin, revealing part of his fangs. X found himself enjoying Zero's touch, he wasn't scared of him, only nervous. Zero seemed so kind in comparison to yesterday. Inside, the blond was a little nervous too, he could feel his heart fluttering again. "I want to thank you for saving me and I bandaged your ankle. You sprained it somehow." X continued. The blond looked down at his legs, remembering seeing the bandages. X caught a glimpse of writing on Zero's helmet, reading it aloud. "Absolute Zero. Is that armor..magic?" Zero slowly looked up at him and shrugged a little. He opened his mouth and a cold breath escaped him and revealed how long his fangs really were. X nearly thought he was going to talk, but Zero's breath hit his neck, making him shiver and blush more. Zero tilted his head, shifting his hand to X's neck intrigued. X watched him for a moment, staring at his fangs. "Do you drink blood?" Zero shrugged, wagging his hand a little to say 'now and again'.

X talked to the black-clad prince until he fell asleep. The blond grinned a little, covering X with the duvets. He gently rubbed X's head, watching him sleep. Curiousity eventually got the better of him, he wanted to taste X's blood. He wouldn't have to bite him, he could taste traces of blood under the skin. X's blood was very sweet to him, he managed a small taste without waking him. 'He..He helped me..I haven't seen such kindness in a long time..' He thought to himself. 'He still shivers at my hands though..He's still scared of me..but what was that reaction of his..?' Zero stayed in the bed, watching him sleep. He was starting to feel comfortable around X.

The next morning, Bass went to remind Zero that it was his turn to go to market. He was surprised to see Zero in bed with X. "Well, well." Zero looked back at him slowly. Bass chuckled. "Getting cozy with a guest, huh? Just wanted to tell you that its your turn to go to market." The blond rolled his eyes and slowly got up, trying not to wake X. He folded his wings as he went out the door and towards his own room. Bass saw X waking up and grinned. "Rise and shine." X opened his eyes slowly. "Where'd Zero go?" "He's getting ready to go to market, we alternate going to market each week. Did you want to go with him?" X nodded, getting up quickly and grabbing a change of clothes. The red-eyed boy nodded. "I'll tell him.

Bass walked to Zero's room, closing the door behind him. "Hey, X wants to go with you." Zero paused, having just finished tying on the black mask he wore whenever he had to go to town. "Why?" Bass shrugged. "Maybe he needs something, who knows. Or maybe you could take that time to learn about each other." Zero shook his head slowly. "It's no use, he's scared of me..He shivers at my hands.." Bass tutted. "That's no excuse..He's curious about you and seems just as intrigued as you are. Just do it...Mama's boy." The blond lowered his head, that nickname brought back memories of his mother before her death, but he never knew his father. Bass smiled, leaving the room as Zero dug out and counted out some money.

At the front door, Wily had made a list for Zero. X and Bass soon joined, just as the blond was within sight. His mask covered just his nose and mouth, he looked like a bandit sent from hell itself. Wily handed Zero the list and the blond looked it over. Apples, oranges, bananas, mangoes, and anything X wanted, it read. He shrugged and put the list in the left arm compartment of his armor before walking to Light and X. Light grinned at him and so did X. That grin of X's melted Zero's heart, guess Bass was right. He slowly turned around, bending his knees to lower himself down for X. "Get on his back and hang on tight, you've seen how swift he is." Wily instructed. X nodded, slowly climbing onto the blond's back, between his wings and gripping his body. Everyone followed him outside and watched as Zero immediately started to run, flapping his wings a little before bending his knees and leaping into the air, gaining altitude. X clung to Zero tightly before looking around at the clouds. "Wow, we're getting really high up." The blond looked at him over his left shoulder as he moved his left arm over X's arms, feeling him shiver.

After a while of flying, Zero slowly descended into the marketplace. The townspeople saw him, starting to raise a commotion, many of the women and children hiding behind corners. X looked around, wondering why everyone had hid from them. Zero landed gently, bending down to let X off. X's eyes met Zero's when he looked back at him again. "Would it be ok if I stayed on your back?" The blond shrugged, straightening himself out. Murmurs of the townspeople could be heard from everywhere, things like, 'That armor must be witchcraft.', 'He's got a hostage on his back.', and 'Danger.'. Zero tutted, searching out the right vendors as he got out the list Wily gave him. 'He can read too?', 'He's definitely not one of us.' came more murmurs. X shook his head, hearing the murmurs. "What's wrong with these people? You're just different, ahead of your time. Don't mind them." He pet Zero's hip as the blond walked, making him blush under his mask. 'No one's ever tried to comfort me this way before...Not even Bass...' He thought to himself before reaching the vendors, paying for a few apples and mangoes. X turned his attention towards the stands of bananas and strawberries. He always did like strawberries. Zero took his bag of apples and mangoes, moving aside before catching wind of X's stare. He grinned under his mask and went to the vendors, paying for a bag of bananas and another of strawberries, putting the bags in his armor compartments. X was surprised when Zero got the strawberries, it was as if the blond could read his mind. The reality was that Zero was rewarding X's kindness towards him.

Back at Wily's castle, Wily had called Light and Bass into the throne room to discuss an important issue; Preparing for Usurper Sigma's next move. Based on info from Wily's spies, he was several countries over, trying to take control of it and since it was another allied country with King Cossack at the throne, they needed a plan of attack. "Zero was recently promoted to Captain of the Royal Knights after the last fight. When he comes back and if he's not tired, we'll discuss a plan to thwart Sigma's takeover before he tries to invade my country again." Light looked at Wily in concern. "I hope you know what you're doing, having a potential warlock with that status." Wily chuckled. "He's never been the type to crave more power. He'll be fine."

Soon, the front door opened as Zero and X came back inside the castle, letting X off before going to the kitchen to drop off the groceries. X followed him there, he realized what Zero had done in town after leaving and now found it hard to stay away. Wily caught up them and showed Zero a map, explaining the situation. Zero moved his mask and took the map, rubbing his chin a little before heading to his room to come up with a plan of attack. He yawned a little, showing sharp fangs and hardly realizing that X was still following him. The blond went into his room and sat on the bed, observing the map. He noticed X at the door, gesturing for him to come in. X came in, sitting next to him on the bed. "They need a plan of attack, huh? I hate fighting...It shouldn't have to happen.." Zero looked towards X for a moment, then back down. He'd never minded fighting, but had never thought of it that way before. He set the map on the nightstand, deciding he'd sleep on it and picked up the picture of him and his mother, letting X look. X looked at the picture, it showed a red-haired blue-eyed woman with freckles on her face holding Zero in the air happily with his newly crafted Absolute armor. Bass was right, the armor was much more round and both wing pairs were far smaller. "Bass told me and my father about you and your armor...It really is adjusting and changing to your body. Was she...really a witch?" Zero nodded deeply, setting the picture back in its place before lying down on the bed. X looked at him as he unfastened the mask and put it away. "Don't despair, she'd be proud of you." Zero blushed softly, grinning a little as he made room for X. The little brunette laid down next to him and let Zero's wing cover him. "Can I ask you something?" Zero looked to X attentively. "Can we be friends?" The blond felt his heart race a little, knowing that now he was getting somewhere with him. Zero nodded, pulling X close and soon falling asleep.


	3. Mayhem and Love

**Author's Notes; Royal AU. Shounen-Ai. A little drama to help build up more fluff and plot..And Aye, Zero's unarmored appearance is mildly inspired by the Beast in Beauty and the Beast..**

Two weeks had passed since X and Light had arrived in Wily's castle. Zero grew fonder and fonder of X and sometimes, X stayed up all night to talk and hang out with him. However, he was still a little objective of Zero because he had yet to speak to him verbally. He couldn't explain it, but for some reason, he felt safe around the young warlock. The blond had plotted out a plan for attacking Sigma's forces; They were to go incognito to Cossack's country and act, depending on the situation after X and Light had left

It was evening and X had walked back to the ballroom, observing it again, taken aback by how fancy and wide it was. He could imagine in his head dancing with someone here, he felt flustered when he pictured that someone being Zero. "He'd never agree to it."

A figure wearing nothing but a dark red cape and black breeches emerged and leaned against the railing by the steps, watching X quietly. His arms and hands had been turned purple as an after-effect of his armor and his hair was a golden color, skin a little darker than X's, eyes of ocean blue, a black and red collar on his neck and a small black gold tiara on his head, partly hidden by his long fringe. He walked towards X slowly. X hardly recognized him without his armor, but he soon realized that only one person looked like that. Zero came closer to him, grinning a little. "I almost didn't recognize you." X blushed nervously. The blond chuckled a little, leaning in close. "You're so quiet and such a rebel, I kinda like it. I still wish I could hear you talk." X smiled a little. Zero smirked a little. "I don't think I need to hold back with you anymore." X was surprised at Zero, but a little confused at the same time. "Y-You spoke..but what do you mean?" The blond smirked more, pulling X a little closer. "I mean, I feel like its useless to keep the charade up so I'll talk." X chuckled a little. "If you want, I enjoy your strong silence but its your choice." "X, do you feel strange around me?" The blond asked shyly. "Strange? No, I feel safe around you." Zero blushed brighter, impulsively bringing him closer. "Safe? But, X, how could you feel safe around me? You're human and I'm a warlock." X shook his head. "Do you think that should really matter?" The blond shrugged slightly. "Well..no, but your father still thinks I'm dangerous.." X couldn't help but giggle. "Shall we try to get him to reconsider?" The blond was left without words before X pulled him towards the guest room Light stayed in.

In the room Light stayed in, King Light was reading a few books and relaxing on the bed. He looked at the doorway, hearing footsteps and smiled seeing X. "Afternoon, son. Hmm, who's behind you?" X moved aside letting Zero in. The blond slowly stepped into the room a little hesitant. Light raised an eyebrow for a moment, he didn't recognize Zero until he saw his long mane and set his book aside. "Ah, you threw me off for a minute. So that's what you look like under that armor. Its hard to tell that you really are a warlock, you look so human." X grinned a little and nodded while Zero shrugged slightly. "Father, reconsider. Zero's not dangerous. He's been really kind and he's my friend." Light chuckled. "Alright, X, I believe you. I'm just saying be careful, we only know a handful about him since we just met him a few weeks ago. If you think he's kind, then I won't stop you from being friends as long as he keeps that behavior up." The little brunette smiled and hugged his father. "Thank you." Light nodded, hugging back

That evening, many voices could be heard near the castle doors. An angry mob was outside and they had captured Zero in his armor, shackling his arms and legs where he was unable to pull the shackles apart, rendering him helpless. The noise was enough to wake everyone in the castle. X woke on Zero's bed, surprised that he wasn't there. "Zero? Zero, where are you?" He got up and went into the hallway in a hurry, bumping into Bass. "Hey, watch it!" The red-eyed brunette growled. "Bass, Zero's gone!" Bass sighed. "Come on, he does this every night. You should know that by now. My concern is about all the clamoring outside the doors." Wily and Light peered out from their rooms. "What on Earth is going on? Its midnight!" Light yawned deeply rubbing his head. "Sounds like a fuss outside.

Unable to break his bonds, the winged blond could only call for help. Flying wouldn't do any good, there were so many people they'd just yank him back down by the foot. Even if he could escape, he wouldn't be able to get the bonds off. Instead of shouting "Help", Zero's cry for help was much different. He roared loudly, much like a wild beast. Bass heard Zero's roar clearly as did King Wily. X shuddered and clung to his dad. "What the heck was that?" Bass shook his head. "That was Zero's distress call. I apologize, X, something is definitely wrong." Light raised his eyebrow. "That's a distress call? He's a very strange one." Bass shrugged. Zero's cry had unnerved the angry mob slightly, but they pressed onwards back into town. Everyone in the castle got themselves dressed and headed out to town to stop the riot.

In town, the villagers tried to clip Zero's wings, but they lived up to their name; they were indestructable. When all failed, they gave up and laid him in front of a cloaked executioner, wielding a large scythe. The villagers were trying to kill Zero, but why, only they knew. X and the others arrived in the back of the crowd, just in time to see the executioner start to move towards Zero. The young brunette couldn't take it, he pushed and shoved his way through the huge crowd. He had to save his friend. 'Hmm, friend. Now that I think back on it, this feels deeper than friendship...Is this actually...love?' He thought to himself as he pushed his way through. 'True, I've only known him for a short while, but the bond we've formed...It feels so deep.

Zero shut his eyes as the executioner approached and the angry chants of the villagers filled his ears. 'Kill him, Kill him.' They all chanted. As the executioner started to lift the scythe up, X made it through the crowd, throwing himself on top of Zero to block the executioner, panting. "No!" Light's eyes widened as he, Bass, and Wily made it towards the front. "X, no!" A few of the mob leaders noticed them. "Come to see the show, your majesties?" "Hmmph!" was all they could say at the moment. "If you want to kill him, you have to kill me too." X said. Another man stepped up towards X and Zero, short with ginger hair. "Stand back, young one. We'll end this string of witches, warlocks, demons, and vampires plaguing our village once and for all." The crowd cheered, but the ginger silenced them. "We've been plagued with lines of these foul creatures, all possessing their own means of witchcraft. The last one was that blacksmith redhead witch and that oddball blond vampire that courted her. We managed to drive the vampire out, but we never could catch the witch. She was too cunning. Killing her one spawn will end this mayhem that's plagued us for years." X listened, rubbing the red chest lens on Zero's armor, watching it pulse a little. Zero had collapsed in relief when X arrived. 'So, he's both a warlock and vampire. That's why he said he drinks blood now and again.' X pondered to himself. "Since my father and I arrived here, he's kept to himself, but I've come to learn more about him. He's the nicest creature I know and everyone here scorns him for merely being alive. I don't like that at all." The ginger rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, but its for his own good, lad." X shook his head. "No, its not. He may be a supernatural creature, but he hasn't terrorized your people, has he? As far as I've seen, you've all been demonizing him, looking at him like he's some kind of monster. Please, let Zero live, he's not like your past supernatural citizens." The ginger man pondered for a while. X found himself crying as he looked at Zero's face. 'Zero...I love you.' He whispered as he sobbed quietly.

Wily tapped his foot, crossing his arms and clearing his throat, making the mob look back at him. "For the attempted murder of my adopted son, the members of the mob are all under arrest and will be thrown into my dungeon until we decide a suitable punishment." He stepped aside, letting the Royal Guards through who cuffed the mob members responsible. "I'm aware of the plague of supernaturals and we will find a means of ending it, but killing Zero isn't the right way. If he were like the past supernaturals, I wouldn't have agreed to adopt him." The ginger man nodded and sighed. "Executioner, your services are no longer required." The executioner lowered his scythe, glaring at Zero and X before walking away. The ginger unlocked Zero's shackles, but Zero didn't budge until one of X's tears of joy landed on his cheek.

The blond's eyes slowly opened, seeing the guards taking the mob away and the villagers who had come out to watch go back home. He looked around for X, murmuring his name. X could faintly hear him and cuddled next to him as he kept crying. The blond prince rubbed X's cheek gently and for once, X didn't shiver at his hand. 'Zero..' X wept, letting the blond hug him. He kept X in his arms as he slowly managed his way to his feet, caressing X's back. 'I owe you my life, Prince X.' He whispered to him.

The executioner hid behind a nearby wall and moved his hood down. He was a spy and right-hand man for Usurper Sigma, clear eyes and white hair, Dynamo by name. He got a better hold of the scythe and charged at Zero with it, but the blond's keen intuition had given him a warning about the executioner when he was drug into town. He and everyone but X saw Dynamo charging. Since his hands held and supported X, the blond bunted the charging spy with the left side of his body, knocking Dynamo away and the scythe into the air. When it came back down, Zero caught the scythe in his mouth near the blade before looking towards Dynamo, making everyone gasp. "Predictable move, human." The blond mocked, although a little muffled. X looked up hearing the commotion and seeing Dynamo. "My, my, you're quite the serious one. I've come with a message from my lord, Sigma. He wants a fair fight, none of your sorcery." Zero rolled his eyes. "He doesn't fight fair, either, but all's fair in love and war. Tell him that he's not just getting a fight, he's getting a war, with or without sorcery." He turned his head right a little and then back, spitting the scythe out and sending it back to the white-haired spy. Dynamo couldn't catch it, instead it hit him in the face with the stick part, knocking him out and to the ground.

After the mob had been sent to the dungeon and Dynamo kicked out of the country back to Usurper Sigma, Zero flew up to the castle roof where he would usually meditate, keeping X in his arms. X's tears and crying had stopped as he snuggled against Zero. "X?" The brunette looked up at him, keeping his head near the blond's chest lens. "Am I...a monster?" X grinned and shook his head slightly. "You may be half warlock, half vampire according to them, but I fail to see anything monstrous about you. You're different and I..." He paused for a moment. He knew Zero didn't hear him say that he loved him earlier and was too shy to use that word now, regardless of how true he felt it to be. "I really like you the way you are. Do you think you're a monster?" Zero blushed brightly, almost glad that X couldn't see it and felt like he was being truly accepted for who he is, not what. "Yeah, kinda, but I'm...glad you really like me." Glad was no word for it, not even close. He wasn't ready to admit it, but he could feel himself falling in love with X. It was a small spark now, but with all the kindness X had shown him, he knew it would grow into a flame overtime. X didn't want to intimidate Zero with his feelings and wasn't quite ready to admit it out loud either. "Would you mind if I slept in your arms?" The blond shook his head. "Not at all." He watched X snuggle him more and soon go back to sleep again. He leaned his head in closer to X's, wrapping his wings around him as he started to meditate. After all that had happened, he needed it.


	4. Departure and Zero's New Home

**Author's Notes; Royal AU. Shounen-Ai. Fluff. To clarify, White Magic is magic intended for good use..Its also called Natural Magic..Dark Magic is basically magic intended for evil purposes..Had to add some sorrow and tears somewhere, but fluff rebounds it..and the sword balancing act on Zero's hip is inspired by some bellydance instruction vids..**

After the incident in the village, X and the blond warlock stayed close together. Zero wouldn't go outside the castle without X and vice versa. X found himself becoming a little nocturnal too. He and Zero often read books together by the fireplace in the den, played chess, meditated, or just talked to each other while lying in bed. Before going to bed, King Light often watched them together. He was very pleased to see how well X and Zero got along. They didn't argue, Zero worked with X to come to a solution. If one felt down, the other would try to cheer him up. Light had never seen X get along so well with anyone before, Wily and Bass took notice too. Wherever X was, Zero would be closeby. "Joined at the hips, those two." Bass remarked, watching them head for the den. Light nodded, looking to Wily. "Its going to be hard on both of them when we have to leave back to France." Wily nodded back. "I know he's treated badly here, but he's still in charge of the Royal Guards." Light sighed, nodding again. "The boy does deserve better treatment."

X sat down in front of the fireplace on the couch, making room for Zero. As Zero sat down, the little brunette prince snuggled into his lap. 'We leave back for France in only 3 more days now..' X whispered. The blond nodded slowly. 'X, please...Don't leave me.' X snuggled Zero's lap more. 'I want to take you with me, but you're in charge of the Royal Guard...' The young warlock nodded slowly, lifting X into his lap. 'I would like to see your kingdom someday.'

Those remaining 3 days passed, Zero spent as much time with X as he could before it was time for X and Light to go. Their carriage arrived for them at the front of the castle near sunset, the blond awoke just in time to catch them, putting their belongings on the back of the carriage. X saw Zero fly over the castle from the back and land next to Bass. The brunette hugged King Wily after Light did, noticing Zero's wings gradually sinking to express his sorrow. Light hugged Bass, who rolled his eyes before going to Zero. The blond's face showed no emotion, but his eyes were on the ground until he saw Light's feet before him, slowly looking up at him. "I was completely wrong about you and you deserve better treatment." Light said to him, rubbing his right cheek. Before going to the carriage, he whispered something to the winged blond. 'We will work something out for you.'

X then stepped in front of Zero, tears began to run down his cheeks and Zero's wings sunk further down. "I don't want to say goodbye...This can't be the last time I ever see you..." The blond nodded, hugging X tightly. "Don't let it be. You...You're my favorite human." X hugged him tightly back, crying more. "You're my favorite person to be with. You're my best friend." They hugged tightly for a while. Zero didn't want to let X go at all and neither did X, but when it was nearly dark, Light insisted they leave. X slowly let go of the blond, kissing his cheek before sitting beside his father in the carriage. Bass and Wily waved as the carriage started going away, but the young warlock had let tears escape him and his wings had sunk as low as they could go. Instead of letting Wily and Bass see his tears, he lowered his head and when the carriage was out of sight, he flew to the woods behind the castle where X had spotted him on his first day there. In the middle of those woods was a clearing and dead center was the tomb of Zero's mother. He came here frequently before X had visited and did so whenever he was upset. He landed next to her tomb and curled up beside it in fetal position as he cried in silence.

Light's country was France, his castle was in the center of the northeastern tip of the country. Wily's was Germany and their castle was towards the center of the country. A trip from one point to the other would take half the day by horse and carriage, a whole day on foot. Light saw X's tears on their way back and tried all he could to cheer him up, but to no avail. He wasn't like most fathers of his time, he didn't scorn any of his 3 children for showing emotion. Prince X was so upset, Light found it harder than usual to hold his attention. It wasn't until they finally arrived home that he remembered something. 'Son.' He whispered, but X hardly heard him. Light leaned closer to his son. 'X, I told Zero that we would figure something out for him.' This caught X's attention, slowly looking at him. 'You did?' He sniffled. 'Is it possible that he could live with us?' Light nodded. 'Yes, we have room for him. I'll take it up with Wily as soon as possible.' The brunette managed to smile at his father slightly before they both disembarked the carriage.

Inside the castle, X's brother Rock and sister Roll awaited their return eagerly. They were both 18 years of age being twins, 4 years older than X. Rock wasn't much taller than Bass, had brown hair about the same color as X's, blue eyes, and usually wore blue. Roll was slightly shorter with a long blonde ponytail, no where near as long as Zero's, blue eyes, and commonly wore red or pink. When X and Light came through the doors, Rock and Roll greeted them happily. "Welcome home! How was your time in Germany, X?" X merely shrugged. "It was ok. I made a friend there, but I may not see him ever again.." Rock looked at X. "Didn't Wily and Bass say that area was plagued by supernaturals?" Roll chuckled. "Come on, you boys don't honestly believe that, do you? Wily's full of stories." X shrugged again. "It's true. I met one. He's a warlock, possibly a warlock vampire cross, and the village they're near treats him badly." Rock and Roll looked at each other then back to X. Rock was intrigued, but Roll was doubtful. "I think you've been reading too much again, brother." The younger brunette sighed and walked slowly to his room upstairs, taking his belongings with him. Once he was settled into his room again, he found it impossible to sleep. He missed and felt lonely without Zero by his side, he longed to see him again. He felt his heart crave Zero more, he needed that young warlock.

A single week passed slowly by. Zero could hardly sleep anymore, he missed having the little brunette beside him, curled and snuggling his chest lens. He stayed in his room, refusing to leave his bed for anything. Wily and Bass grew more concerned by the day.

One evening, Bass came into Zero's room and sat on the bed beside him, but the blond hardly noticed. "Zero, Wily wants to see you." Zero slowly looked at him. "Tell him to leave me alone." Bass rolled his eyes. "Can't. He says it concerns you and Prince X." This caught Zero's attention and made him push his upper body off the bed. "Why doesn't he just come in here and talk?" Bass shook his head. "You know him, he loves that throne." The blond sighed and slowly rose from the bed. He felt tired and weak from not allowing himself to eat as he walked slowly to the throne room. Wily was waiting for him in the throne room. "There you are." Zero nodded, stopping in the center of the room. "What do you want?" Wily shook his head. "Well, Light and I have been writing to each other lately. He thinks you deserve better treatment and is offering to let you move into his castle. I'm fine with this." Zero's eyes widened, he would get to stay with X after all. "However." Wily continued. "I agreed on the terms that you find a means to keep up with training the Royal Guard." Zero nodded slowly. "That shouldn't be an issue. I can come back once a week and train them." Wily nodded. "Very well, pack your bags. You can leave as soon as you're ready." The blond grinned and started back to his room to pack. Bass was still there. "Well?" Zero started cleaning out his dressers. "I'm moving in with Prince X." Bass sighed. "If it'll get you to stop being such a baby, I suppose I'll part with it." The blond chuckled. "Hey, its hard to see someone go after knowing them for a while." Bass shrugged. "Guess I have to believe it, seeing how you reacted." Once Zero's things were packed into his armor, he flew outside to his meditation spot on the roof and took flight towards France.

Back in France, X knew very little of Light's plans to accomodate Zero and take him in, except for what Light told him. He'd spent the week, holed up in his room and kept his own book on witches and warlocks close. It reminded him of the blond.

It was almost midnight when the young warlock arrived. He noticed X's window on his way. Naturally, he wanted to go in there immediately and see that sweet little brunette human boy, but part of him didn't want to start a fuss in a foreign country. He gave in and went straight for X's open window. X was wide awake, having no ease with sleep since they left. He thought he heard wings, but assumed it to be his imagination. Zero double-checked to make sure it was X and crawled in through the window. X could see a shadow in the window. "Who's there?" The blond didn't speak, but just found his feet on the floor. X could see the glowing of two crystals, one ocean blue and the other crimson. "Z-Zero? Is that you?" Zero closed the window behind him and came closer so X could see him clearly. X was nearly speechless when he saw him and pinned him onto the bed in excitement, sitting on top of Zero's pelvic armor, making Zero blush brightly. The brunette snuggled against Zero's chest lens, crying happily. "I thought I'd never see you again..." Zero reached for X's face, carressing his cheek softly. "You don't have to worry about that anymore, X. I'm here to stay." X grinned happily, snuggling to him more. "That sounds too wonderful to be true." The blond chuckled. "The only catch is that I have to go back weekly to train the Royal Guards. Are you ok with that?" The brunette nodded deeply. "Yes, that's fine." Zero pulled X up so they were level with each other, moving X's book to a nearby shelf. "Good, now, get some rest, you've got rings around your eyes." X yawned deeply, feeling at ease once more. "Only if you join me." Zero chuckled and nodded, hugging X tightly and wrapping his wings around X before falling asleep.

Next morning, princess Roll went to check on X, she had been a bit worried about him since he got home. She was surprised to see the blond warlock there, going to get her twin brother. X woke up when the twins came in together. They looked puzzled. "What's the matter?" X asked, looking up at them slowly. "X, who or what is that next to you?" Roll asked seeming a little intimidated. "This is the warlock I tried to tell you about." The younger brunette smiled, looking back at Zero. The blond remained asleep, writhing a little and his fangs were exposed, which told X that he was resting well. Rock looked at Zero carefully. "What a strange armor...Are you sure its a warlock? Looks a little feminine." X nodded, glancing at the blond's hips. "Its a boy. His build is feminine, I know." "Have you seen him do magic?" Rock asked. X shrugged. "Some, but not much. Maybe he could demonstrate when he wakes up." Roll shivered a little. "He's kinda scary, even if he's asleep."

When Zero woke around the early hours of dusk, X greeted him happily with a tight hug. The blond grinned and kissed X's head gently. "Evening, my little human." X smiled and giggled a little. "Evening, Zero. Everyone wants a demonstration of your powers." Zero shrugged, hugging X back tightly before stretching his arms and wings. X slowly got up and helped Zero unpack his things before leading him to the throne room. Light, Rock, and Roll awaited them patiently. Roll gasped quietly when she saw them. Zero looked even more creepy to her when he moved. "Ah, you're here. How did you sleep?" Light asked. "I slept pretty well." Zero responded. Light smiled. "Good. We were hoping we could see some magic from you. We didn't see much of it in Germany." The blond nodded as he and X stood in the center of the throne room. Zero leaned his head back towards the ceiling, exhaling a cold breath. As he did, a snow cloud formed in the room and it began to snow steadily. He bent and positioned his left leg, conjuring up a Middle-Eastern saber and placing it on his left hip, balancing it as his hip moved up and down. The young warlock was never sure exactly why, but balancing a sword on his hip relaxed him when he had to practice magic. He opened his left hand and lowered his head, his hand was empty of course but after a few moments of focus, he set off fireworks that formed the shape and colors of the French flag. Light and X clapped, Rock and Roll were a bit surprised. They were all enthralled by Zero's tricks, but Roll was a little intimidated, she'd never seen true magic from anyone before. She and her brother wondered if he was using mirrors or some other form of fake magic. In reality, all Zero was using were his imagination for the tricks and his hip to keep his sword balanced. For his last trick, a snap of the warlock's fingers made two roses appear in X's hands, one white and the other black. Another snap doubled the roses and made them into a bouquet.

Light and Rock clapped at Zero when he was finished, the warlock stopped all his tricks except the sword balancing on his hip. The roses didn't disappear however, they were enchanted, having been created from Zero's power. X blushed brightly, looking at them, sighing deeply. "That was amazing, Zero." Light grinned at him. "That was White Magic, wasn't it?" He asked. Zero nodded. "Yes, I've been taught both White and Dark Magic. I reserve Dark Magic for the battlefield." Roll gulped a little. This guy was no fraud, like she had thought him to be. He'd just proven everything X said about him. "I see. Well then, I think its time for some shuteye." Light nodded and stretched as he rose from his throne. "Do warlocks sleep?" Rock asked as he and Roll stood. X chuckled, holding his bouquet close. "Every living being except plants sleep, Rock. Zero is nocturnal though, he's active upon nightfall much like a bat or an owl." Roll shuddered a bit, that was even creepier to her. "O-Ok, have fun with your bat." X shook his head, watching the three of them go to their rooms. "Its almost amusing that Roll seems horrified of you." Zero shrugged. "I'm used to it by now, you and your father saw what I had to put up with." The brunette looked at the young warlock. "What if I said that I admire your uniqueness and also find it a little attractive?" The blond looked down, trying to hide his blush. "Naturally, I'd be unsure how to react, but thank you. Those roses are enchanted, by the way. They can't die, regardless of lack of sun or water, they're immortal." He snapped his fingers, making the sword on his hip vanish as he straightened his left leg and started back towards X's room. X raised an eyebrow and stopped him, lifting Zero's head up and observing his blush. "Zero..." The blond rubbed against X's hand. "I won't say it, I want you to figure it out." X pondered a little. "Zero...Do you feel something deeper than friendship between us?" Zero nodded, blushing more. "Exactly it." The blond picked X up and carried him back to his room, sitting on the bed. "Oh...Zero..." X said quietly, deeply surprised as Zero laid him down on the bed covering with the duvets. "Ironic, isn't it? A warlock in love with a human. Its considered shameful for any supernatural to be felled by a human in any way." He said, putting the roses in a nearby vase. X chuckled. "There's nothing shameful about love, regardless of species or gender." He smiled before closing his eyes and getting comfortable. Zero chuckled, kissing X's cheek and positioning himself for meditation. "Oh yeah? I believe you're pretty unique too."


	5. Defeated Sigma and an ill X

**Author's Notes; Royal AU. Fluffy. Shounen-Ai. Explained the enemy a little..the mountainous Arabic country is referring to Lebanon, a place where alot of terrorist groups supposedly hide..and at this point, I'm trying to establish the time setting in the Middle Ages aka the Dark Ages, with a semi-modern twist..I'm also referring to Russia's time as a monarchy in the past..Enjoy..**

Somewhere in a mountainous Arabic country, the remains of an enemy army returned to their underground hideout, managing to avoid capture. This army had suffered numerous casualties and all the survivors were injured. Zero had gone through with his plan for the Royal Guards to go into Russia incognito and intercept Sigma's army, depending on the situation. Turns out, Sigma was trying to enslave Czar Cossack's people and take over the kingdom, already having a fourth of the country under his control by the time Zero's Royal Guards got there. Zero's presence and efforts turned the odds in his favor and defeated Sigma in a competition of Dark Magic.

An old bald man in a green robe sat on the examination table in a makeshift medical bay, having his injuries treated. His eyes were a soul-less white, with scars over both of them, growling as the medics tried to treat him. Like Zero, he too was a magic-wielder. He and Zero had fought each other many times, but he could never defeat him. "That cursed Zero! We're both warlocks and there's little difference in our skills. If I could somehow trick him into joining my army, we'd be unstoppable and world domination would finally become a reality! But how?" Sigma pondered aloud.

Soon, Dynamo came into the room, having returned from the side-mission in Zero's village, rubbing his head from where the stick of the scythe hit him. "So, how did it go, my liege?" Sigma folded his arms angrily. "Do you even need to ask?" The white-haired male chuckled a little. "That meddlesome Zero again? He is rather formidable, its admirable and annoying at the same time. So serious though." He rolled his eyes at the thought, making his head hurt worse. Sigma shook his head. "All those traits stem from his warlock ancestors, he would make a very powerful ally to us. How to snatch him is the problem." Dynamo nodded. "Seems we're mostly wiped out from the looks of it." He then looked at Sigma and whispered something. Sigma smirked after Dynamo backed away. "Seems we finally have an ace in the hole." He laughed evily, echoing through their base and into the nearby mountain range.

Meanwhile, after their victory, Zero led the Royal Guards back home to Germany. In the few days they took to get back, Czar Cossack had contacted Wily by letter, asking to meet with their mysterious young Captain. Wily wrote back, informing Cossack that Zero no longer resided with them and that he would have to take it up with King Light. Cossack did just that and Light agreed.

On the same evening of Cossack's letter, X and Light went to the balcony to await Zero's return. X was anxious, longing to see the blond warlock again after nearly a week in fighting. After an hour of waiting, they finally heard the sound of wings flapping and saw Zero come into view. Zero grinned, noticing X and Light on the balcony and slowly descended. He hadn't suffered much in terms of injuries, just developed more hatred for Sigma. He never saw himself and Sigma as equals, or allies for that matter. He never knew any true reason to fight, but he was sure of one thing; He couldn't stand the thought of joining Sigma's forces, often shuddering at the thought.

X pounced on Zero happily as he landed. The blond giggled, holding X close, he'd never gotten such a warm welcome back before. "Hey there. I missed you." The young warlock rubbed X's head as the brunette snuggled against his chest lens. "I was so worried, but I'm glad to see you're safe." Zero smiled, holding X against him as he got up. Light chuckled happily, he loved seeing how well they got along, almost like a couple. The blond supported X's bottom with his right arm and kept him close with his left as he looked to Light. "Czar Cossack wants to meet with you. He wants to thank you for restoring his country." Zero shrugged a little. "First time I've ever been called to meet someone directly." Light chuckled. "Don't worry, he'll only be here a few days." The blond warlock nodded and walked back towards X's room, slowly sitting on the bed, watching the little brunette snuggle. X slowly looked up at Zero, kissing his cheek. "I've missed this so much." Zero chuckled and kissed X back on the nose. "So have I, my little human. I apologize for taking so long, we fought them hard." X nodded slowly. "Are they gone?" Zero shook his head. "We wiped out much of Usurper Sigma's army, but the survivors managed to avoid capture. This is the second string of attacks he's launched in the last year, so I won't be surprised if he starts up a third." The brunette clutched the warlock tightly, shivering. "All this fighting...All these innocent deaths and enslavements...They have got to stop." By now, Zero knew how X felt about fighting, but in his heart, he was beginning to understand what X meant. "I know, my sweet, but it won't stop until Sigma and his followers are captured or put to death." X nodded, hugging Zero tighter. The blond hugged him tightly back, letting X ease his back onto the bed. The brunette watched Zero's wings rise and enclose him from behind as he stroked Zero's face and then his sides. Just looking at the blond creature under him often made him hot and bothered. Although he trusted Zero, he wasn't sure about making love to him just yet, it was tempting but maybe when they weren't expecting company. He leaned over, cuddling on top of him and tried to relax. The blond grinned, knowing what X wanted and understanding why he held off. He cuddled him back, rubbing his head and playing with his short brown locks. "There, there."

A day before Cossack would arrive, Zero and X went to the market to get some food for Cossack's stay. The french townspeople looked at the warlock and his armor strangely, they didn't know he was a supernatural nor had they seen one before, so they dismissed him as strange. The blond shrugged it off, it was better than what the Germans had tried to do to him. X carried the fruits and Zero carried the vegetables, but by the time they were done, X didn't feel so good. The blond carried all the bags in his armor compartments and let X crawl onto his back, holding him tightly before taking flight back to the castle.

Once the groceries were put away, Zero put X to bed and checked his forehead with the back of his hand. X watched him quietly, coughing a little. Zero shook his head a little. "You've fallen ill, X. It seems to be a cold." The brunette sighed and sniffled a little. Zero rubbed X's head gently. "I lost my mother to it because neither of us knew how to treat it. I learned how to over time though." X kept his eyes on him. "Are you...going to be my doctor?" The blond chuckled. "I don't know about a doctor, but I will try my best. Stay in bed for me, alright?" X nodded and watched Zero leave the room and his father came in. "Are you alright, son?" The brunette shook his head. "I'm ill, Dad. Zero says he lost his mother to it and knows how to treat it." Light raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? In these dark times, not many know how to treat colds. Guess we have to trust him and see what happens." X coughed a little, closing his eyes. "I believe him, father." The blond soon returned with his mask on, carrying a wet rag, tonic, and a glass of water, placing the rag over X's forehead gently before sitting next to X. "Keep your fluids up, X, its crucial to fighting against a virus." Light looked at Zero. "Can you not use magic to help him?" Zero shook his head. "I learned the hard way that viruses can't be treated with magic, it has to be the natural way." Light nodded. "I see, well, I'd like to help too." The blond looked back to him. "The best thing at the moment is for him to drink some water and get some rest. We'll try some tonic and soup after he's rested."

That evening, X's fever had gotten worse. Zero shuddered feeling how warm X's forehead was. "That's a lethal temperature." The blond told Light. "We'll have to draw a cold bath for him. He's going through the worst of it." Light nodded and went to the bathroom to draw the bath as Zero picked X up, carrying him out into the hallway to the bathroom. X looked at him slowly. "Aren't you worried about catching it too?" Zero shrugged a little. "Somehow this armor is somewhat resistant to viruses, but for good measure, if you must cough, use your elbow." The brunette nodded, coughing into his elbow as he was told. "That's incredible, your mother was brilliant to come up with that armor." The blond chuckled. "Yeah, I think so too." He walked into the bathroom with Light as he filled the tub, setting X on his feet and helping him undress. Once X was undressed, he slowly stepped into the tub and sat down in it. The water was very cold, but with his fever, it felt good. Zero rubbed X's forehead down with water, trying to help cool him down. X relaxed more to Zero's touch, his hands may have a rough texture but he knew how to be gentle with them. Afterwards, Light got X a change of clothes ready while Zero helped X dry off. X felt like the blond was babying him a little and found it a little cute. "You're so devoted, Zero." The blond paused for a moment and lowered his head, trying to hide his blush. "Thanks, X." He soon stood after finishing up and carried X to his room, letting him get dressed. He sat on the bed, being sure to leave X room. X crawled in bed after dressing and snuggled close to him, reaching for his hand. The blond watched him and took his hand. "You're going to be alright. Drink some water and we'll try some tonic before you go to sleep." X nodded, drinking a little water before setting it back on the tray.

Czar Cossack arrived early the next morning and Light had to make sure Zero was awake. The blond sat on X's bed, next to the sick brunette in meditation. Light gently rubbed the pauldrons of Zero's armor, waking him up. "Czar Cossack is here. I'll watch after X and get Cossack's room ready." The blond nodded and stretched his arms as he slowly crawled off the bed. "Make sure he gets a spoonful of the tonic when he wakes." Light smiled and nodded. "Of course."

The twins were up early, having heard the sound of hooves and wheels outside the castle. They saw Zero come out of X's room, stretching his wings a little. Zero's head and chest crystals shone in the dark hallways as he spotted them. Rock thought that Zero was kinda cool, Roll was still intimidated. The blond warlock just turned his head quietly and walked to the throne room, the twins followed behind him at a distance.

Zero opened the front doors, seeing Cossack and a smaller female figure get out of the carriage. "You are not Light. Where is he? I wish to meet this infamous captain of the German Royal Guard. Wily said he resides here now." Cossack said. He was dressed in red robes and was a little taller than Zero with short white hair and a small white beard. His daughter, Klinka, was short, being very young, with blonde hair and a pink dress, hiding shyly behind her father. Zero held the left door open for them. "He's tending to his sick son at the moment, but I can be of service. I'm the captain of the German Royal Guard." Cossack and Klinka went inside and Zero closed the door behind him as he followed. The sun began to rise over the horizon, letting light into the throne room. Cossack looked at Zero closely, observing his armor. "You have very strange armor. What name do you go by?" Zero watched him closely. "Zero. My name is Zero." Cossack frowned. "Strange one, indeed. You are still a child. You're too young to be leading an army." The blond shrugged. "So I've been told, your highness, but I haven't had many problems with my army." Cossack shook his head. "Is a saying in my country; Never let a boy do a man's job...but seeing how you and your army were able to drive out Usurper Sigma's forces, I believe you. If needs be in the future, my army will assist you and be at your command." Zero bowed to him. "Thank you, sir, I'm honored. I strongly doubt this is the last we've seen of Sigma's forces."

Rock and Roll listened to them talk and greeted them as Zero led Cossack and Klinka to their room. "Hello, you two. You both look healthy." Roll nodded at Cossack. "Its our brother, X, that is sick." Zero hoped Light had given him the tonic. "Zero, may we see him?" Cossack asked. The blond nodded and went into X's room. Light was giving X the tonic and then set the wet rag back on X's forehead when he noticed Zero, Cossack, and Klinka. "He seems to be doing a little better." X swallowed the spoonful of tonic and looked to them, happy to see Zero. "I think your remedies are working, Zero." Zero grinned. "I'm pleased to hear it, but you still sound stopped up. The good news is you're past the worst of it. Supposedly, though, it'll take a week or so for you to clear up completely. Mother didn't make it past the high fever." Light looked to Zero. "I'm so sorry to hear that. I'll take Cossack and Klinka to their room." Zero nodded, trading spots with Light. Light led the other two to their room, not far from X's. X looked to Zero once more. "Come here." The blond chuckled and not only came to him, jumped onto the bed with him, lying down. "Good. Don't leave my side." X said, cheekily as he snuggled against Zero. The blond growled playfully, wrapping his right wing over him. "As you wish, master."


	6. Captured

**Author's Notes; Royal AU. Fluff with Drama and Suspense towards the end. The end got delayed due to distraction from the Sly Cooper franchise and Depression, but it was still forming in my head..and as a spoiler to the next chapter, of course he will rescue X..At best this entire story will either come up short of 10 chapters or right at 10..That's about how far I see it going..Sorry this one is short compared to the others..I took a good suggestion from a friend here too..Enjoy..**

A week had passed since X had caught a cold. Czar Cossack and Klinka had returned home to Russia safely. X showed gradual recovery from his cold, the fever was dying down but he was still stuffed up. The blond stayed by X every minute and informed Wily that he was taking care of the younger brunette and that the Royal Guards would have to practice on their own time this week.

Light was very happy and impressed to see X's recovery. He found himself thanking Zero numerous times. The blond felt humbled by the king's gratitude. He knew it was nearly impossible to find effective treatment, but cold treatment was nothing new to him. Roll sometimes came to check on X too, she wondered what kind of magic Zero was using. She was still too intimidated of him to ask and barely realized that there was no magic at all, just remedies suggested to him by an old hermit before he was adopted by Wily.

News of X's steady recovery travelled quickly, papers named him the first person to even start recovering from a cold. Reporters tried to ask him if it was witchcraft, a healing spell, or something else as well as who knew what to do. All X told them was to use tonic, soup, and cold water for the fever. He didn't dare mention Zero, but only because he refused to tell anyone that he was a warlock. He couldn't stand the idea of Zero having to endure something similar to the incident in Germany.

Seeing this news, Usurper Sigma, regardless of being few in number with his remaining troops, began to plot another move. "Fascinating, isn't it, my liege? Prince X of France is overcoming a cold and is the first known person to do so. You wouldn't think-?" Dynamo stopped as he came to his master's side. Sigma growled angrily. "This has Zero's scent all over it. If what you said about them in Germany is correct, then X may very well be the key to taking Zero." Dynamo chuckled and smirked. "Shall we launch our plan now?" The bald warlock nodded. "Yes, this is the perfect time. Go!" The white-headed man nodded, gathering the remainder of the soldiers and setting off for France.

Another week passed and X managed to breath more clearly now, no coughing or stuffy nose. He felt great and was thankful, very thankful for Zero's help. The brunette watched Zero sleeping beside him and pulled him closer. "You're something else, Zero. No, you're the best. I love you so much." Naturally, Zero didn't hear or feel X pull him closer, but just snuggled into X in his sleep.

When Zero woke at sunset, he was happy to see X in front of him. "Hey, stranger." X smiled. Zero chuckled as he sat up. "Evening, my love. How do you feel?" The brunette smiled more. "Better, thanks to you." The blond giggled as he pushed himself up slowly. "I'm glad to hear it. I have to train my army tonight. Think you'll be ok by yourself or do you want to get your father?" X's smile faded slightly, he enjoyed Zero's company and care so much, just like in Germany, that he didn't want to see him go. "I'll go and sleep with my father. Just be careful." The blond nodded, picking up his helmet and activating his winged armor. "I will." He kissed X's lips and licked his neck as he stood up. "I promise." X nodded, kissing back before starting out his bedroom door for his dad's room as Zero opened the window and took flight.

Sigma's remaining forces hid in the woods just outside the castle for nightfall. Once it was finally dark out, Dynamo led them into the castle. "Restrain him tightly once we find him and report back to the woods." The small army nodded as they checked every room in search of the young brunette. After a while of searching, they found their target, curled up beside King Light, asleep in bed. The group swiftly restrained and carried X away, out of the castle and back to the woods, leaving a rushed note on the front door.

Zero returned just before the crack of dawn the next day, finding X's bed empty. He remembered that X was sleeping with his dad and with that in mind, he closed X's window behind him and exhaustedly crashed on X's bed.

A couple hours later, King Light was searching and calling for X, but with no response or trace. The last place he searched was X's room, finding just Zero there. He shook Zero awake a little. "Zero? Zero, wake up!" The blond's eyes slowly opened, murmuring a little as he saw the King. "What's the problem, your Majesty?" Light sat him up carefully. "Its X, he's gone. Not in the village, the woods, the library, the garden." The blond's eyes widened at this. "What? Did the kidnappers leave anything behind?" Light nodded and showed him the note he found on the door. Zero took the note and read it aloud. "We have captured Prince X and are holding him for ransom or until the Captain of the German Royal Guard surrenders and joins us. Find us in the treacherous terrain of Lebanon if you dare. Signed, Dynamo of Usurper Sigma's army." Zero growled. "Cowards. Of all the people to pick on." LIght looked at him. "Shall I ready my army?" The blond shook his head. "No, I have to go alone. Its clearly a trap and its me they want. They've been trying to recruit me for a while now. I have to exchange my freedom for X's."

After their abduction of the young prince, Dynamo's group raced swiftly to the ends of the kingdom and out of the country to meet with Usurper Sigma who was waiting just past the French border. X was out cold, hands and legs tied together and his mouth covered so he couldn't call for help when he woke. "Good job." Sigma smirked as his remaining soldiers came back. "Zero's sure to come looking for him." With that, he teleported them and Dynamo who held X back to their underground Lebanon base.

Once back, the white-haired man placed X in a cell in their dungeon, replacing X's makeshift restraints with chains that were old but still pretty durable. X's hands were chained behind his back and his ankles to where he couldn't stand.

X woke several hours later, slowly looking around in the cell and soon realizing he couldn't move much. 'Where am I? What is this place? And why am I imprisoned?' He thought to himself, closing his eyes and letting tears escape him. 'Why me? And where is my warlock? I hope he comes and saves me.' He hoped hard that Zero would come. After all this, he hardly felt ill anymore and nearly forgot about his dissipating cold.


	7. True Love and a New Plan

**Author's Notes; Royal AU. Shounen-Ai. Fluffy. Drama. Suspense. Been a while since I've written and I'm going through shite at the moment so clearly, this was the best time..Sigma's remark of Zero having a heart is based on a theory of mine..In this story, most witches and warlocks are born without hearts, thus making them a bit harder to kill..To the witches and warlocks of the story, the ones that are born with a heart are rumored to serve a greater purpose in life along with possibly being capable of immortality..and since alcohol does in fact go to the brain first, which controls all bodily functions, this would also impact anything in the body permitting and controlling the use of magic..Aye, I'm a nerd..Please enjoy..**

Zero wasted little time preparing for his trip to Sigma's hidden base. He took off almost immediately. He'd been to their base before, his fights with Sigma were often either inside or just outside the base. The blond still couldn't believe they kidnapped X and promised to make their ends slow and painful. King Light respected Zero's decision to go alone as he watched him fly away, but he informed King Wily and Czar Cossack, who deployed their armies to meet in Lebanon. Zero's army knew the way to the base.

It took him half the night to reach the base. In a lower part of the mountainous area, an old stairway protruded from underground, which most passerbys disregarded or barely noticed. He quietly tread down the stairs and using ghost-like magic, phased through the door. The door led into the prison cell area of the base and he could see X in one of the cells. He phased through the front of the cell and sat behind X before making himself visible. X was wide awake wondering where Zero was until the rattling and movement of the chains snapped him out of his thoughts and made him turn his head. 'Zero! You came for me.' The blond nodded as he picked the locks of X's chains with his claws. 'Of course.' X smiled happily at him. 'You're my hero.' Zero chuckled quietly as he removed X's arm shackles and moved to his legs. 'I'm no hero.' Once all of X's shackles were off, he pulled X into a tight hug. X smiled more as he hugged back. 'Let's get out of here before Dynamo comes back.' Zero shook his head. 'You go ahead. I have to stay.' The brunette raised an eyebrow. 'What? Why?' The blond sighed, lowering his head and wings. 'The reason why they captured you...is to bait and capture me. They realized you were close to me. He's likely going to try and recruit me to help him dominate the world.' X gasped quietly. 'B-But...' He was too surprised to finish his sentence. 'Listen, X, my sweet little human, you have to escape as fast as possible. Get as far away as you can. I will figure out a way to fool him and escape as well.' Zero told him. X was left without any words and a few tears escaped those emerald eyes as the blond released him, letting him stand up. 'X, if the absolute worst happens and he decides to kill me instead, I'll live on in your heart. Don't forget that.' The blond held his hand on X's chest, who was crying more now and nodded before pushing the unlocked cell door open. Zero watched him escape as Dynamo came into the prison area, taking notice of Zero and not bothering to pursue the escaping X.

Dynamo restrained Zero with magic-resistant shackles on his arms and pushed him towards the main room where the older warlock awaited them. Sigma smirked when he saw Zero. "Foolish youth. Coming all the way here to get yourself captured for the sake of a friend. Your friend must not care much if he's left without you." Zero knew Sigma was wrong, but didn't retort. He knew that's what Sigma wanted him to do. "You're a very unlucky warlock, Zero, especially since you're one of the few of our kind born with a heart. I could easily kill you with those shackles on if you don't cooperate." Sigma smirked more, pointing one finger to the chest lens of Zero's armor. The blond nodded quietly. "Go to the bunkers, General, and devise a plan for us to take over France. That's where our world conquest will begin." Dynamo lead Zero down another flight of stairs to the bunkers. It was dark, filthy, and empty, hardly a place for thinking. The white-haired man went back up the stairs, locking the door behind him while Sigma had gotten out several old bottles of ale and wine to celebrate Zero's capture.

X made his way up the stairs and slowly onto the hills. He felt horrible for leaving Zero behind, but he also couldn't control his crying as he thought about what Zero was doing. Was Zero going to be killed? Or was he going to become X's enemy as well as the world's enemy? X just couldn't believe his lover would do it, it just seemed impossible. He knew Zero was smarter than that. "Please, don't let him die." X said aloud sadly as his tears continued to overflow. He shivered a little from the cold mountain air as he headed for a campfire visible in the distance.

The German and Russian armies met just a little north of Sigma's base. The Germans showed them the vicinity of the base and began discussing how to break X out and how to finally capture Sigma once and for all. After a while of walking, X drew near their campsite, hoping they would let him at least warm up. Some of the troops of Zero's army noticed him. "Halt! Who goes there?" X stopped. "Prince X of France." He said sadly. The troops lowered their weapons and most of the soldiers came to see him. "Prince X, are you alright?" asked the leader of Cossack's army. He was an older man who looked like he'd been in service for a long time. "Yes, I'm ok." X sniffled, wiping his tears away. "Its great that you're safe, your highness, but where is Captain Zero?" asked one of the German soldiers. This made X cry again. "Zero...Your Captain came to rescue me and took my place, letting Usurper Sigma capture him." The German soldiers were shocked, murmuring about how odd yet noble of their captain to do such a thing. The Russians led X towards the campfire and covered him in a blanket, equally as confused of the news.

In the old underground bunker, the only thing Zero's mind could focus on was X. He hoped his beloved human had gotten far away safely. He was completely unaware that his and the Russian armies had been called out and hardly expected any sort of rescue. The blond wished he had a means of contacting X to tell him that he was alright. He remembered an old ability taught to him by the hermit outside of his hometown and decided to give it a try.

X explained the situation to the two armies who were completely baffled that Zero would fall for the trap. They had no idea how to free him or what they would do if Zero really did switch sides. The Germans knew of Zero being a warlock and how unstoppable he was. The two armies tried all through the night to devise a plan while X moved to one of the army wagons, staring at the sky. He hoped Zero was ok and almost thought one of the soldiers sounded just like him. He began to hear a voice in his head.

'X?' The voice in his head called.

The brunette ignored it, but got curious when he heard it again. 'Where are you, X?' asked the voice. "Zero?" X asked in response. 'Yes, X, I'm speaking to you telepathically, another thing the old hermit taught me. I'm alright, my love.' X cried happily. "That's a big relief." Zero was almost motionless in the bunker. His mouth didn't move as he spoke, it was all coming from his mind. 'Are you ok? You sound like you've been crying still.' X nodded. "Yeah, I'm ok. I found your army and the Russian army. They're taking care of me for now." 'Really? What are they doing? How far away are they?' Zero asked. "We're about 7 miles from Sigma's base. They originally came to help me, but ever since they made me explain the situation, they've been trying to figure out how to free you." Zero shrugged. 'Your father must've notified Cossack and Wily when I left. Well, there might be a way since Sigma's celebrating my capture. He and Dynamo have gotten really loud.' X raised his eyebrow. "What does that have to do with it?" Zero chuckled slightly. 'You'd be surprised. Alcohol first impacts the brain which as I'm sure you know controls all the body's functions, impairing them in humans. Its the same with witches and warlocks, but there is another drawback for us. Witches and warlocks are never supposed to consume alcohol because it impairs and wears down our ability to produce and use our magic if enough is consumed. While this is an ideal time to strike while they're off-guard, wait until the crack of dawn to get the armies to move.' X was surprised. "I get it. Wait until dawn when they're intoxicated so much that they won't be able to fight back." Zero chuckled and nodded more. 'Exactly, dearest. They should be too drunk to do anything and probably passed out too. They'll be in jail or worse by the time they wake up.' X smiled and nodded. "I'll be sure to tell them."

X soon relayed Zero's words to the two armies. The Germans nodded in approval of the plan, but the Russians were new allies, they didn't know as much about the German Captain as they did so they followed the Germans' lead and patiently waited for dawn. A little relaxed knowing that Zero was ok, X managed to catch a little sleep before dawn broke.


	8. Rescued

**Author's Notes; Hard Yaoi. Shounen-Ai. Fluff. Suspense. I have no doubt that a few of you lot were wondering, 'Is there going to be any hardcore in this?'..Well, originally, there wasn't going to be, solely on the worry that, given my past hard yaoi fics, the story might become monotonous..I've made an attempt to avoid that..I apologize that the scene itself is so fucking short, but it had to be if we don't want things getting loopy and staying consistent..Please enjoy..**

X's sleep was short-lived, he only managed to sleep for maybe 15 minutes. The soldiers were discussing a strategy for when dawn came. They were loud, both accents could be heard as they talked, sometimes bickering and disagreeing. They were clear on one thing though; X would have to go back in with them and for that reason, one of Zero's soldiers was having armor crafted for him. The brunette noticed that Zero's lieutenant was holding an odd staff, it was black with scattered wavy red marks and a large purple gem embedded at the top. He wondered if the lieutenant was another warlock. Warlock...X couldn't help but feel bad. He felt so guilty and needed his warlock so bad that he nearly started to cry again, but stopped himself when he saw the soldier coming back to fit the armor on him.

The armor fit him well. It was several shades of blue with a red smooth crystal on the helm and large arm and leg pieces in a dark blue color. The soldier smiled and tried to comfort X a little. X grinned a little in return. "Thank you. May I ask who that knight holding that odd staff is?" The soldier looked behind them from the end of the wagon. "That's our Captain's lieutenant, Storm The Vicious. He's in charge of the army when our Captain is...unavailable. That's the Captain's staff he's holding. Captain Zero always brings his staff with him into battle, Storm brought it in case things get ugly." The brunette nodded, looking at the staff. "I see. May I see the staff?" The soldier grinned. "I don't see why not." He walked over to the lieutenant and returned a few minutes later, handing the staff to X. "Why don't you hang onto it, your highness? I think Zero would feel better knowing that his favorite childhood possession is in the hands of the one he trusts the most." X smiled slightly and nodded, taking the staff in his hands as the soldier went to join the others. The wavy red marks reminded him of his love, making him cry again. X could feel Zero's essence on the staff, overwhelming him with worry and guilt. "Zero..."

'You have my staff, I see.' In came Zero's voice to X's head as he cried. 'I'm glad of it, but your tears are breaking my heart. You're so miserable...' X was a little surprised, sniffling. "But...you're underground. How can you see me?" 'The staff's gem is pure Amethyst. If I focus enough, I can use the gem as a mirror and I can see you clearly.' X slowly looked up at the Amethyst crowning the staff. It glittered a little from the campfire and he wondered if he could see Zero through it. 'This staff I made with my own hands with help from my mother. Its my favorite memory of her. Keep it safe for me, X, until you are in my arms again. Because you can't use magic, you won't be able to see me.' X was starting to think Zero could read his mind. "Please, give me a sign, Zero. I miss you..." The blond was uncertain at first, the magic restraints on his arms prevented him from using magic from his body, but since he was speaking to X telepathically, it didn't seem to be affecting what he could do with his mind and imagination. 'I hope this works...' With that, Zero's purple and white hands appeared on X's knees. 'I'm limited in magic with my body, but nothing has changed in terms of my mind.' X sat the staff beside him and reached for Zero's hands. They were solid and rough as they were with the Absolute armor. He turned Zero's left hand over, gently carressing it while the right carefully wiped away X's tears. "Your hands are so rough, but so beautiful." Zero chuckled. 'Yours are so small and cute. Your touch makes me miss and need you more.' "Zero, I love you so." X smiled, crying more as Zero's right hand kept wiping his face. 'I love and need you more, my little human.' Zero's left hand took X's, gently squeezing it. 'Do you feel a little daring tonight, my love?' X shrugged, lifting their hands and kissing the back of Zero's. "Maybe slightly..Why?"

Soon, X was running across the desert back in the direction of Sigma's underground lair, carrying Zero's staff and the hands Zero had generated rested over X's chest. He made sure the armies didn't hear him as he got further away and used a glow from the gem of the staff to light his way. Zero wanted X to be safe, but X wanted Zero by his side. He knew Zero missed him badly so he decided to set off alone.

Once he neared the underground lair, he slowed down to catch his breath as he searched for the old stairway. 'Be very careful, Sigma and Dynamo are still drunk and noisy, but if you make too much noise, they'll hear you. There's another stairway that goes further underground, it leads to the bunker I'm held in.' Zero advised. X nodded, slowly making his way down the stairs and inside the prison cell area. Sigma and Dynamo's drunken laughter spooked him a few times as he steadily and carefully searched for the stairs underground along the way. When he found and walked down the stairs to the bunker, the hands on X's chest disappeared as Zero saw him. X couldn't see him very well, but he could make out a faint blue and red glow. 'Zero..? Are you there?' X whispered as he entered the bunker, seeing the glow move closer. The staff illuminated Zero's face in its purple glow as they moved towards each other. 'I'm right here before you.' Zero whispered in response. 'Could you pick the lock of these restraints? There's a few lockpicks on the table.' The brunette nodded picking up a lockpick as the blond turned around, showing his lover the restraints under his long mane. Using the staff's light, X carefully tried to pick the lock, but the drunken laughter upstairs and some other odd noises up there scared him, making him drop the pick a few times. Zero turned his head back to X, watching him and seeing how much the ruckus spooked him. 'Hold the staff between your arms and hold my arm.' X did as he was told. He felt much better when he held his lover's arm. He finally got the lock and removed the shackles, setting them and the lockpick down quietly. Zero's arms and body glowed red as the flow of magic was able to course through him again. He stayed still, lifting X up onto his back. X lifted Zero's hair up as he wrapped his arms and legs around him. He had missed Zero's warmth and passed the staff to him. Zero let out a gentle passionate moan as X got on and took the staff before stretching his wings a little as he quietly snuck towards the stairs.

Once they were outside, the blond took a deep breath of fresh air. It had been stuffy in that bunker. He began to flap his wings, slowly rising high into the air. X was so happy on Zero's back, snuggling him so much that he hardly noticed that Zero had started to rise and fly in the opposite direction of the army's campfire. The blond instead flew south towards a desert oasis, surrounded by palm trees. It was a good distance away from both Sigma's lair and the army campfire. The water rippled from Zero's wings as he gently landed. X slowly looked up from Zero's back and slid down onto his feet, standing beside his warlock. "Its beautiful, Zero. Where are we though?" Zero looked to X but didn't respond, his face blushed brightly. X had no idea what he was about to do. "What's the matter?" The brunette asked when he saw Zero's blush. Again, he didn't respond verbally, he took X's hands in his and drew his head close to X's face, drawing him into a deep kiss. X gasped as Zero took his lips, but steadily relaxed into the kiss. As they kissed, the blond slowly eased X down onto the desert sand, covering them with his wings to keep them insulated from the cold. He slowly started to remove X's armor once he was on the ground. X slowly broke from the kiss, looking at Zero. "What are you doing?" Zero smirked as he removed the chest and pelvic sections of X's armor, setting them and the staff aside. "You will see, my love." He moved closer and lapped at X's neck, removing X's helmet before reaching down to his own pelvic armor. The cold made X shiver and Zero responded by tightening his wings around them. He wasn't sure what Zero was up to, but it felt nice and he trusted him. "Relax, I won't hurt you." Zero assured him as he set X's helmet and his own pelvic armor aside. X nodded, seeing their lengths exposed. He then realized what was happening. Zero was trying to mate with him. His face flushed brightly with this realization, panting as the blond licked him down to his chest. Zero gently pushed himself inside X, careful to keep his word. X moaned softly and pulled Zero towards him, making him push further inside him. The blond was surprised at first, he knew X had never done this before, but the fact that he wasn't trying to fight or get away spoke for itself. Seeing X's face blushing and pleasured made his heart throb and race. He paced himself carefully as he went a little further. X's moans grew louder in volume, he'd never felt so good before. He felt so indescribably loved as Zero thrusted his hips forward, it felt like he had gone to heaven. Zero kept himself steady for a while, they had plenty of night left. He grabbed X's neck with his fangs as he hugged and relaxed on top of X. Zero began to speed his movements up and push as far as he could after a while, letting muffled moans escape him as he moved, moaning in time with X. He felt X squirming in pleasure, making his whole face blush a bright red. X's arms held Zero down tightly as they moaned more. "So close.." Zero muffled out. "Harder.." X asked, between moans. Zero obeyed and thrust his hips harder, pushing all the way inside him. The brunette let out a pleasured scream, soon releasing all over Zero's lower body.

The blond let go of X's neck and screamed shortly after, releasing inside X. The brunette's arms relaxed as they panted, looking down at Zero. Zero looked back up at him into his eyes, managing a smile as he stroked X's face gently. "How did that feel?" X chuckled happily. "Wonderful. Have you done this before?" The blond shook his head. "No. Knowledge and the general idea of it comes natural by age. That was my first time too." He gently pulled out of X and brought X's armor closer for him, letting him then taste the remaining fluids he had wiped up. X smiled, lapping the fluids away before finding himself craddled in Zero's arms. The blond helped him fasten his armor back on, receiving countless licks and kisses which made him chuckle happily. The brunette slowly stood up on his feet as Zero went back to get his staff, dusting off the sand from the gem before fastening his pelvic armor back on. He readied himself for X, moving his hair away. X soon crawled on and clung to him tightly, snuggling him as Zero took flight back to the army's camp.


	9. Reunion and Pure Love

**Author's Notes; Royal AU. Shounen-Ai. Fluffy. Suspense. College has started for me which has impeded the rate at which my works, be it art or writing, are done..Thankfully, its only 3 days of the week and only in the morning; Monday, Wednesday, and Friday..Unfortunately, a certain someone in the house has been making me spazz out..Spazzed out so bad, I cried 3 times in one fucking day..so shameful..I've been a little depraved of ZeroX lately, not seeing many new artworks of them so I'm pouring fluff out the ass into this one..(Too..much..AVGN lately..but also thanks to playing X1 recently..Holy shit, the fluff..)..Now one chapter remains and this will be a bitch because I haven't had much experience with fight scenes..Might be the longest of the bunch because I have to figure out how to work an old idea in, but for now, please enjoy..**

By this time, the soldiers had noticed that X was nowhere to be found. They searched the camp thoroughly, but none of them found a trace of him. Zero flew towards the campfire quietly, feeling X snuggling against him tightly. He smiled and held X's arms with his free hand. X grinned happily, opening his eyes a little, he was so happy to have his lover back.

Soon, Zero descended near the soldier's campfire which took some of the Russian soldiers by surprise. "Who goes there?" They asked, pointing their guns towards the glowing spots of Zero's armor. Zero's lieutenant, Storm looked up. "Lower your gun, its our Captain. Welcome back, sir." This caught the attention of some of the German soldiers. "Welcome back Captain!" "You're safe!" "How did you escape?" Several of them greeted, but his army was happy to see him again. The Russian captain overheard the commotion and went to investigate. "What's all the fuss?" "The German captain has returned but there's still no sign of the Prince." The captain looked towards the others and Zero, walking closer. "Come into the light...Captain." Zero looked towards him and did as he was told. The other captain looked at him suspiciously. "You're not human, are you?" The blond shook his head slowly, noticing that the other was observing him and his staff. "Your army certainly seems fond of you. Fine. Its a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry to report that Prince X is missing again." Zero chuckled a little. "Prince X is safe." Everyone looked towards him, they couldn't see X because he was mostly hidden under Zero's long mane. "He's the reason I'm free. He's right here on my back." He gently pet X's arms as X rested his head on Zero's pauldron. The Russian captain was surprised. "Prince X, this is unacceptable behavior for someone of your stature." Some of the German soldiers looked at him surprised, but Zero smirked. "Come now, surely you know that I'm a prince too." This baffled the captain even more. "You...You are both children. I can't believe our Czar appointed permission of a child to utilize our army." The Germans chuckled a little as did Zero. "He's unlike any child you will ever see in a lifetime, sir. It also seems X is more courageous than any of us thought." Storm grinned. Zero couldn't help but find it amusing that the Russian captain was so baffled. X found it somewhat amusing too, but hurtful at the same time. The blond looked over at him, noticing that he seemed a little wounded by the captain's words. X felt Zero's eyes on him and looked back to him. Zero rubbed his cheek against X's to comfort him, taking X's hand carefully. Both armies watched them and couldn't help but smile. The brunette was a little nervous as Zero cuddled and comforted him, but the blond didn't care, which upon seeing the smiles of both groups made X relax and cuddle back. The Germans knew how close they were and the Russians found it interesting, but the Russian captain was even more surprised. He'd never met such an odd and hardy bunch in his life. "Very well...What's the plan then? Are we still striking at dawn?" Zero nodded slowly. "Yes. They were drinking heavily. The main enemy is also a warlock. Alcohol disables and wears down witches and warlocks' ability to use magic and fight back, which makes dawn very ideal for striking. We outnumber them due to recent fights so Sigma is the only real concern. By the time he comes to his senses again, he'll be helpless." The other captain nodded. "Make your preparations, everyone, we strike in several hours!"

Zero took X back to the wagon and crawled in the back, setting his staff aside. X gently leapt off Zero's back and sat beside him. The blond moved closer as he sat down too, pulling X to him. "You know, if you were a fighter, I'd make you my vice captain." He pressed the crystal on X's helmet, making the armor power down and come off. X shook his head. "I'm no fighter, you know that." The blond chuckled and nodded as X crawled into his lap, rubbing against his warm chest lens. "Fighter or not, I love you so and I'm indebted to you. If it wasn't for you, I would've become Sigma's 'general' in world domination. He wanted to strike your home first." X blushed slightly at first but then grew a little upset. "If you had become our enemy, would you have spared me and my father?" Zero leaned in closer to X and nodded. "Yes. Either way, I wouldn't be your enemy, it would be Sigma pulling the strings. If I did lead an invasion, I would hide you and Light away and get his army to revolt against Sigma." X nearly cried at this and pinned Zero down. "Zero..." The blond grinned and wiped away X's tears. "You were aware of that chance, weren't you? Don't worry, I'm never going to be your enemy. We're all on your side." X was so relieved and hugged Zero tightly. Zero's wings enclosed them as he hugged back. He could understand how worried X had been and why X would think such a thing. Zero felt he belonged to X and vice versa, their bond was far too deep for him to even imagine hurting X.

X cried happily, hugging him tightly. The blond rubbed away his tears where he could with his cheeks. "All these tears, hon." The brunette sniffled. "I'm sorry. You've done so much for me." Zero smiled a little, rubbing X's back. "You've been put through so much in the course of a few days. Don't worry, I'm doing all of it for you." This made X squeeze Zero even tighter. The blond smiled wider and squeezed back. "Should we contact your father and tell him you're alright? I'm sure he's very worried." He asked, unwrapping his wings. X nodded, letting go of Zero and starting to get up, but Zero pulled him back down, making X land on his pelvic armor. The brunette looked a little confused. "Please, stay on top of me. I like it when you have me under you." Zero smiled more. X blushed brightly and giggled a little. "Take my hands." X did as he was told, locking his fingers with the warlock's.

Back in France, Light was worried sick. Rock and Roll had heard what happened to X and how Zero went off by himself to save him. "His sacrifice for our brother is rather admirable, isn't it Father?" Rock admitted. Light nodded slowly. "Yes, but if worst comes to worst, I fear he may become our enemy." Roll wasn't thinking any better of Zero, but she had to admit his courage was impressive. 'Father? Father!' came X's voice into Light's room. Light looked around as did Rock and Roll. "X! Where are you?" 'Zero's using his powers to let me talk to you telepathically. We're in Lebanon.' X answered. "Are you alright?" Light asked. 'Yeah, I'm fine. Zero rescued me and took my place.' Roll was a little relieved that her brother was ok. "What of Zero?" Light questioned. "He hasn't switched sides, has he?" 'No, father. After his lieutenant brought his staff, Zero guided me to the bunker he was held in. He was forced by Sigma to start plotting for world domination, but I rescued him. He said that even if he had to start invading, he would spare us and get our army to revolt against Sigma.' Light smiled and sighed in relief. "Zero, you've got a great heart inside you." He could hear Zero chuckling. 'Like I told X, I'm not your enemy and I won't be.' Light giggled. "I'm glad to hear it. Are the German and Russian armies there?" Zero nodded. 'Yes, they are. They're making preparations to strike and capture the remains of Sigma's group at dawn.' Light raised an eyebrow. "Why dawn?" 'Sigma and Dynamo decided to celebrate my capture and have been drinking. Since he's a warlock, Sigma's ability to use magic will be impaired from all that alcohol. Dawn is the optimal time to catch him offguard. He's the only real threat, our last fights against him really crippled his forces.' Zero explained and Light nodded, seeing Zero's point. "I see. I wish you good luck, Captain and please keep X safe." X giggled a little. 'Don't worry, I think we stand a chance. By the way, there's something X and I feel we need to tell you. Your son and I are in love.' Zero told them, a little nervous but trying not to let it show. Light wasn't surprised at all. Rock didn't know what to think and Roll was grossed out. "I might have known it and I'm not bothered at all. I saw how you bonded while we visited in Germany. As kind, nurturing, and strong as you are, X needs you, Zero. You two are perfect." Light closed his eyes and smiled happily. Zero was at a loss of words, that went better than he anticipated. "In fact, it wouldn't surprise me at all if you two were to someday be wed." Zero blushed brightly, thankful that Light couldn't see. X blushed brightly too. 'Since Zero is the next king, a marriage between us would unify France and Germany.' Light nodded. "That's right, X. Two countries operating as one." Zero felt as if his mind had been read, he had occasional thoughts of marrying X when the time was right but wasn't sure how society would see it. He wasn't sure why he concerned himself with that, no one cared for him as much as X did. He hadn't realized that it would unify their countries, he wanted to marry him for love and while a peaceful union of countries sounded nice, he found that he couldn't care about it.

After talking with Light, thin rays of light broke over the horizon. It was almost time. Zero let X catch some rest on top of him while meditating, preparing himself mentally for battle. Thoughts of marriage and Light's words made their way into his head, making his heart race. Spending his life with X sounded amazing to him. There was one concern of his though; He had to remember, X was human. Warlocks and witches could live from 3 to 5 times longer than humans. Among his kind, the witches and warlocks born with a heart in their chest are said to be capable of immortality. Zero believed this as he had managed to gift X with the black and white roses generated from his power that were immortal, he also remembered the old hermit mentioning that if he chose to cast immortality on himself, he would be able to cast it on one more person of his choosing, but it would render him powerless for a few months. Zero hated the thought of living to see X die, so he decided; He and X would be immortalized once they captured Sigma and returned home.


	10. Victory

**Authors Notes; Royal AU. Shounen-Ai. Violence. Suspense. This marks the completion of the story..and likely a return to Writer's Block for me..I'm in ENG 111, so maybe, maybe not..I do still have my old writing ideas document with plenty of unexecuted ideas, and as an odd fact, this story is the only one that did NOT get planned out, it was entirely written in accordance with the ideas that came into my head, suggesting that planning may not be very effective in my case..I probably could've done more with the fight scenes, but that's easier said than done when you have to keep track of multiple situations..Hope everyone enjoys and has enjoyed the story..**

 **German; Vater=Father, Bitte=Please, and Ja=Yes.**

As they relaxed, Zero listened to the clamoring of the soldiers getting ready. He pressed X against him gently, being careful with his claws. One of the Russian soldiers walked to the wagon the two were relaxing in, he was tall with short blond hair and blue eyes, very similar in stature to Zero. Zero noticed him when he sat down at the end of the wagon. "I hope I'm not disturbing you." The winged blond shrugged as the soldier crawled in with him. He was curious about Zero, he looked familar. Zero tilted his head a little as he came closer. "Tell me, did your mother craft that armor?" The soldier asked. Zero was stunned one of the Russians knew of his mother. "Ja, she did. Did you know her?" The taller soldier nodded. "Yes, I married her, but I was driven out of the country, unable to spend time with my young son." The blond captain's eyes widened. "Wait, your son? Driven out? That sounds like my father." The other soldier smiled. "Really? I may know you. What is your name?" "Zero. Yours?" "Ivan. Ivan the Courageous. Wait, Zero? That was my son's name." Ivan's eyes widened. The younger blond looked up at him. "Are you...?" Ivan shrugged. "Maybe. Let me see your fangs." Zero opened his mouth, showing his long vampire fangs. "You are. You are my son." Ivan broke into tears and hugged Zero's neck. "I've missed you and you've made me very proud." Zero was very shocked. This was the vampire that was driven away from the German town he lived in. "Where have you been hiding, Father?" "A remote section of Russia until recently when I was permitted to join the Russian forces as Vice Captain." Zero hugged his father back, careful not to wake X. "Come home, Vater, bitte. Mother has passed, but I would ensure you better treatment." Ivan lowered his head. "I've heard about that and how you were adopted and nearly executed. I'll have to consider."

As the light of the sun got brighter, X began to stir, waking to find himself between two bodies. "Z-Zero...?" The blond captain looked down at him. "There's no cause for worry. Remember how the mayor mentioned a vampire they drove off?" X nodded. "Yeah?" "This is that same one and turns out, he's my father." Zero grinned happily. X looked back at Ivan. "A pleasure to meet you." Ivan grinned. "The pleasure is all mine, Prince X. Ivan. Ivan the Courageous. I've heard alot about you." X smiled a little. "Sir, the mayor mentioned you so I'm confused. If his mother was a warlock and you, a vampire, is Zero a warlock-vampire hybrid?" Ivan nodded. "Yes, he is, but since that's the case, his vampiric traits are less noticeable than a normal vampire. What he really is, is what is called by supernaturals as an Ascended Warlock." The brunette prince raised an eyebrow before looking at Zero. "Ascended Warlock?" "Yes. Ascended means to have risen. To supernaturals, an Ascended being is one that is far stronger than normal and when applied to supernaturals, they're extremely rare and have powers beyond the imagination. There is a simple way to tell an Ascended supernatural being from a regular supernatural; The Ascended being will have a heart unlike regular supernaturals. Often said to be black in color, the heart helps the magic flow easier in an Ascended being, making it stronger and presenting the capability of immortality, the only drawback will be that the magic energy will be lost for several months afterwards. If its their will and the will of the chosen person, they can chose one more person to immortalize other than themselves." Ivan explained. X was baffled, looking down at Zero's chest lens and snuggling it. "That's why Sigma wants you so badly..." Zero nodded, watching him. "X...When this is over and peace follows, let me immortalize the both of us. I cannot bear the thought of seeing you die." The brunette prince nodded, letting tears escape him as he snuggled more. "Please, Zero." Ivan smiled happily. He could tell they were lovers, but he couldn't care less as long as Zero was happy with his choice.

When the sun was over the horizon, Ivan led Zero to the Russian captain. He hissed slightly at the sunlight, his kind never liked the sun since it was fatal to them. However as he got older, he managed some resistance to it. Zero carried X on his back. Watching his father, he could understand how his powers were sometimes weaker during the day. "Are you and your troops ready, young captain?" The older captain asked. Zero nodded, his troops assembled close behind him. The Russian captain raised an eyebrow, seeing X's arms and legs around Zero's body. "Surely, you'd have more sense than to put the prince at risk again?" Zero looked back at X, who snuggled him gently. "Yes, it seems your vice captain has revealed himself to be my long lost father. If you'll permit it, I'd feel more at ease if he watched X for me." The captain looked to Ivan. "Sir, I have no problem with this." Ivan nodded as X started to crawl off Zero's back. Once he was off, Zero turned back to look at X. "Don't be reckless and come back safe, ok?" X said fearfully. Zero smiled and hugged him. "Of course, my little human." X hugged him back before Zero had to let go to follow the Russian captain and his soldiers. He waved until they were out of sight, faintly able to make out Zero waving back. Ivan held X's shoulder and led him back to where the campfire had been. "Please, let him be safe." X thought aloud.

Soon, the two armies arrived a few miles away from the site of the underground base. "Move swiftly and silently, capture all of his remaining forces and beware of Dynamo. He can be tricky. Leave Sigma to me." Zero instructed as the Russian captain led into the base, he followed behind his soldiers aware of the fact that Sigma may jump him, no matter how drunk he had gotten. The blond's intuition was exactly right, once all the soldiers were inside a pair of arms grabbed him and threw him over and onto the desert sand. "Thought you could ambush me, did you?" Sigma cackled a drunken laugh. Zero looked up at the drunken warlock, noticing that he could barely stand straight. He didn't respond and got up quickly, charging and locking hands with the other, trying to push him down. Sigma smirked, pushing back against Zero, moving his head back to headbutt him. Zero withdrew his head too, headbutting back and using his helmet along with more force. When it landed to Sigma's head, the older warlock fell to the ground, a cut was visible on his head from Zero's sharp helmet crystal. Sigma quickly and clumisly got back up, running back towards Zero who had gotten into a fighting stance and had his arms ready for a possible block. When the bald warlock tried another headbutt, Zero blocked, but Sigma managed to push him back a little. Zero stayed his ground as he gripped Sigma's head, blood ran past his claws as he shoved Sigma away, making him stagger to the ground. "Come quietly, you're in no condition to fight." Sigma growled and managed his way up. "Never."

Inside the base, most of Sigma's forces had been apprehended by the two armies. Dynamo was stupid drunk, running when he was surrounded by soldiers and taunting them. The Russian captain closed his eyes and shook his head. "Patience, men, this one is very intoxicated. He's sure to drop soon." The white-haired man had the gall to mock the soldiers when he was really just embarrassing himself. All the soldiers waited silently with their weapons ready for Dynamo to drop.

Back at the camp, X and Ivan could see two figures in the distance. "They certainly didn't waste any time getting into a fight." Ivan remarked. X watched quietly, fearing for Zero's safety. Ivan pet X's shoulder. "Don't worry, young one, we'll round up the medics if things look bad." X nodded slowly, not daring to take his eyes off the figures for one second.

Sigma hadn't landed many hits, a scrape to Zero's right side, which he'd managed in a clumsy charge. He began to feel weak, but kept fighting. Zero had battered Sigma in almost every area of his body, he was looking pretty bloody and ragged, but he wouldn't stop fighting until Sigma fell and didn't get up. He played fair since Sigma couldn't use magic, as drunk as he was. Punches and scratches came and went, blood flew out, kicks and bunts followed as well as occasional mid-air roundhouse kicks. They kept fighting for what seemed to be an eternity. Zero's left pauldron had gained a chip in the middle and Sigma's armor was badly dented. After a while, Sigma finally went down and stayed down, not even trying to get up. Zero was left out of breath, covered in Sigma's blood. He looked like he had killed Sigma, but he wasn't dead...yet. The blond soon dropped to his knees, catching his breath. He'd taken one hit to his chest that made this a little difficult.

Watching them long enough to figure out which was which, X and Ivan saw them fight and Sigma drop. X couldn't help but cheer. "Yes! Great job, Zero." He grew concerned when he saw Zero's figure drop to his knees. "No, no! Zero!" Ivan's eyes widened. "Shoot, go get him, X. I'll rally the medics." X nodded and dashed off in Zero's direction as fast as his legs could carry him.

When X reached him, the armies had returned to camp with Dynamo and the remains of Sigma's army restrained with magic blocking restraints in case they tried anything. Zero noticed X but couldn't move his body. "Oh, Zero, look at you, you're a mess." "X...G-get..Sigma..We've..got him.." Zero managed before dropping to the ground from exhaustion. X gently picked Zero up, holding him over his shoulder. He grabbed the fallen Sigma and tried to drag him along. The Russian captain was the last to come up the old stairway and saw X before offering to take the old beaten warlock. X thanked him and nodded, slowly carrying Zero and taking him back to camp.

After what seemed like hours, waiting outside the wagon the medics were treating Zero in, X was invited in. The medics said Zero would want X beside him. X got inside and looked at him. The head of the medics said he had sustained minimal injuries, but was winded. He would be unable to use magic or talk for a while. Zero was cleaned up, armor removed, deactivated, and polished, and his chest gently bandaged as well as his right side. He looked like he was asleep as X came and sat beside him, until his left arm rose and pulled X closer against his chest. X slowly laid down beside him as the medics left, snuggling Zero gently. Zero's eyes opened halfway and he moved his head down, kissing X's hair. Ivan soon came in too, looking at Zero. Zero watched him sit beside them. "Everyone's ready to go home and lock those guys behind bars. Great job, son." The young warlock nodded, pulling X even closer. "By the way," continued Ivan. ",I accept your offer and have taken it up with the captain." Zero grinned happily as they all felt the wagon start to move with Storm at the reins. "We're on our way home, Dad." X smiled as he snuggled more while the wagons made their way through the desert and mountains.


End file.
